I understand that some good people will go purchase the new beer if they see its logo on the back of a bowling shirt. I will not. I also do not imagine that ANY moralistic apostle of #43 will desert their faux-god because they hear a scereaming protester removed from the Patraeus hearings broadcast over WUIS (THANK YOU, WUIS) today. Any maker of mayhem is no friend of mine. Mayhem, like obscene epithets, like random drive-by shootings, should not be an option for civil humanity. I believe that except in satire and parody, passionate opinions should not be shared disrespectfully. I found neither satire nor parody in Move On Org.’s New York Times advert that connected Patraeus with “Betray Us.”
I considered that rhyme a month ago on my own when considering a blog posting, but ruled it out because I do not imagine the good general is betraying his commander in chief, and I do not believe his mission or his testimony before congress betrays the legal citizens of the United States of America. To accept Move On Org’s advert is to go along with the fellow who laments, “Well, if you only knew what she said to me, you’d understand why I broke a few bones last night. I just HAD to.” I don’t accept that, and I don’t accept Move On Org’s shrill antics . . . . not any more, not now that I see how far off the path of civil discourse they care to go.
The only way to discourage Move On Org is for civil human beings to disengage from them. I’m doing that today. I hope you will. And THEN, apply civil discourse with friends and non-friends in the hope that this approach will accomplish our shared goals without extremist rhetoric and deeds.
The coincidental fact that AlQaeda wants the USA to depart Iraq should not prevent thinking, civil human beings from wanting the same thing. We’ve all gone through the “daddy wants me to eat yukky cauliflower, so I’m not going to eat it” phase. We are allowed to despise our enemies without letting them dictate actions which, for different reasons apparent to us, make sense.
Staying one more day, en masse, in Iraq, only validates the bizarre, reprehensible, traitorous passion of the president of the United States of America. But we should be out, not just because this ranting demagogue wants us to stay, but because our presence will not solve the problem he created, tolerated by a public too afraid of being called unpatriotic.
General Patraeus merits the respect of all legal citizens of the USA. He has certainly earned mine. He is NOT a poodle of #43. I respect him. I hope nothing the extreme organizations, including Move On Org lead you to think less of him.
Live long . . . . and proper.
